Photographic stage setting



A. GROT PHOTOGRAPHIC ASTAGE SETTING Filed July 18, 1931 Dec; e, 1932.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. NUN 6R07;

figo@ s.

' Dern e, 1932. A'. GROT 1,890,054

PHOTOGRAPHC ySTAGE SETTING Filed July 18, 1951 `2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOK ANTON 6R01; SN Balm Patented Dee. e, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT carica ANTON GROT, 0F BRENTWOOD HEIGHTS, CALIFORNIA PHOTOGRAPHIC Application led July 18,

` `This invention relates to improvements in y stage settings for photographic p urposesand `particularly to means for producing the illusion of depth to a motion picture stage seti tin by means of exaggerated perspective.

'he principal object of the invention 1s to provide for the production of an illusion of i depth or distance in a walled stage setting withoutproducing an apparent distortion of 3 the `photographic subjects on said set.

` Afurther object of the invention is to pro- `vide means for obtaining an illusion of rapid `gain in vertical dimensions o f an object during forward movement of said ob]ect on the `photographic stage setting.

` Afurther object of the invention is to provide a stage setting in which the upper edges `of rearwardly extending vertical walls within said settin are ,provided with vanishing oints esta lished on an artificial horizon l `isposed a finite distance rearwardly of said setting with respect to a photographic camera," and in which the upper edges Oftransversely extending vertical walls within said `setting are rovided with vanishing points y"disposed a nite distance from said setting laterally thereof withrespect to the camera. l further objectof the invention is to provide a stage' setting for photographic pur- `Iposes in which a portion of the floor surface thereof `is provided with a forward and up- Qward inclination substantially along a line of vision of a camera disposed so as to photograph said set, whereby the lower extremities of any object in forward motion on said inclined surface will be imaged on substan- `tially the same level on the photographic reg'- ister during such forward movement thereof, obtainin an effect ofexagerated dimensionlal growt of said object during such movement.

` y `It has been, common practice in motion picture photography to attempt to convey an i1- 4bei lusion of depth to aparticular stage setting "by placing the camera at a low level,somet1mes practical y on the level of the floor of said set- "ting, so that the rearward portions of the wall 1 surfaces subtend a somewhat smaller vertical y angle in'proportion to that angle subtended by the forward portions of such walls than STAGE SETTING 1931. Serial No. 551,680.

would be the case when the camera is disposed substantially at eye-level. There is obtained by the above means a partial illusion of depth to the stage setting, but in general, this effect is accompanied by other effects which seriously detract from the desired depth illusion effect. Among these other effects is that of an upwardly and rearwardly slanting rear wall of the staging and that of an increase in the lateral dimensions of the base of an object or objects which are disposed relatively near the camera due to the fact that the lower part of an object will necessarily subtend a greater horizontal angle than the upper parts of such object, and thus appear larger on the photographic register. Y

There have also been attempts made to obtain the illusion of a rapid increase in size of a forwardly moving object on a motion picture setting7 by lacing the camera as above. In this case, as t e obJect moves or is moved forwardly toward the camera the lower limit ofthe obj ect remains substantially at the same level on the photographic register and thus the growth or apparent increase in size ofthe object will take place principally vertically from said lower limit. This method of obtaining the above effect is open to the same criticisms given above in connection with the depth illusion effect inasmuch as there is excessive distortion of the image lof the objectV and the setting as a whole and the above methods are limited to use where these distorted eii'ects are desirable, in which case the illusion of rapid growth of the object is mainly lost or masked by the distortion effects.

According to the present invention, the desired eiiect of increased depth in a stage setting and the effect of an abnormal gain in dimensions of a forwardly moving object may be obtained without introducing elfects which present distortions of the subject in other ways. To produce the first named effect, the rearmost portions of the wall surfaces are caused to subtend an abnormally smaller vertical angle than the foremost portions thereof by the simple expedient of disposing the rearward portions of the upper edges of said wall 1surfaces at a lower level than forward portions of said upper edges, and sloping the to take (place with an upwardly and forwardl incline surface, said inclination being pre erably such that said surface lies substantially along a line of vision of the camera. In this manner, the iower extremities of an ob ject will be imaged on the photographic register at substantially the same level, irrespective of the position of such object on said inclined surface, and, upon movement 4of `the object from a rearward position to a forward position, the normal apparent growth of the ob-V ject is exaggerated by virtue of the fact that such ,growth takes place mainly upwardly from the lower extremities thereof.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of a structure of the present invention and referring thereto:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a stage setting having a structure according to the'present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is an end eleva-tion thereof taken from the camera or forward side;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the stage setting showing the appearance thereof on the photographic register of a motion picture camera, on somewhat enlarged scale.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, the structure may comprise a plurality of walls 1, 2, 3, and 4, a

floor 5, steps 6 anda ramp 7, to ether with a photographic camera 8, dispose at some such point as 0. The upper edges oftheiwalls 1, 2 and 3 are sloped downwardly from their forward points 1a, 2a, and 3a respectively, to their respective rearward points 1b, 2b and 3b. Wal-l 4, being disposedsubstantially per pendicular to incident lines of vision of the camera 8, is not provided with a sloping upper edge as said wall would not be in per spective when. in such position. Were the camera to be placed at some point such as G the upper edge of wall 2 would be left without slope and the upper edge of wall 4 would be provided with an outward and downward slo e. rFhe effect of the downward and rearward Lacasse invention, the vanishing point is drawn for'- wardly so as to be at some point aiinite tance rearwardly of the structure.

.The rearward and downward sloping ramp '7 is provided with an inclination such that said ramp lies substantially aiong a line of vision oi' the camera, for example, along dotted line A, so that all points on said ramp will appear substantially on the same level on the photographic register. The above inclined portion of the floor surface is shown as a ramp inclined from an elevated portion of the structure merely as an illustration and it will be understood that it is entirely within the scope of this invention to provide a slop ing or ramp portion of the floor surface extendine* downwardly and rearwardly from the main floor level if desired.

A suitable ceiling drop is preferably employed rearwardly of the wall structure and a portion thereof is included in the vertical camera angle, such as represented by thev dotted lines V, Fig. 1. Such a ceiling drop may comprise a fiat vertical surface curved generally around the rearward portions of the structure so as -to extend outsldethe vertical Ycamera angle V and the horizontall camera angle H (Fig. 2) but ingeneral I prefer gto use the type of ceiling drop described in my nding application, Serial No. 547,559, filed une 29, 1931. A. drop of this type may comprise a curved transverse framework 11 provided with vertical end members 12 and vertical support members 13, there beingstretched over said transverse framework a drop of some flexible material such as a fabric or the like, as shown at 14.-. The drop 14 is constructed by being uniformly stretched over and secured to the upper and lower framework members 11 and then stretched laterally along the lateral edges and secured alon such edges to the vertical framework 12, o taining a horizontally concave and suhstantiall son of the shape assumed by said material when stretched laterally over the framework. Fig; Liillustrates the appearance of the stage setting shown in Figs. 1 to`3 in pers ective as viewed by a photographic camera. n this figure there is shown 1n solid lines at 15 the appearance of an object positioned adjacent the rearward portion of the ramp 7,

.which may be compared ywith the appearance of the sainei object positioned adjacent the forward portion of the ramp, as shown in dotted lines at 16. v

In Fig. 1, the forward and rearward on si'tions of the movable object are snown, ior

the sake of simplicity, as dotted and solidV rectangle 16 and 15 respectively.

In the above ligure, dotted lines 1', 2', 3'

and `1' indicate the psition of the up erv edges of normal walls, corresponding to otted lines of the same number in Figs. 1 to 3. It will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that b the use of the sloping upper wall edges o my invention, a strong 1mpression or illusion of greater depth is given to the structure, which illusion is of great value in motion picture photography.v

Claims:

1.` A stage setting for photographic purposes comprising a plurality of vertical wall surfaces and a floor surface, said wall surfaces havin the rearward portions of the upper edges t ereof disposed at a lower level than the forward portions of said upper edges.

with a ceilin Camera.

2. A stage setting for photographic purposes comprising a plurality of vertical wall surfaces and a floor surface, said wall surfaces having thetrearward portions of the upper edges thereof disposed at a lower level n than the forward portions of said u per edges, said upper edges of said wall sur aces beingsloped downwardly from said forward portions to saidrearward ortions.

3. A stage setting for p otographic purposes, asset forth' in claim 2 in combination drop disposed rearwardly of said wall sur aces and extending from somewhat belowtthe u r limits of said wall surfaces into the olii of view.

4. A stage setting for photographic purposes comprising a plurality of vertical wall surfaces and' a floor surface a portion of said floor-surface being inclined rearwardly and downwardly. Y

5. A stage setting for use in combination with a photographic camera, comprisin a plurality of vertical wall surfaces and a oor surface, a portion of said floor surface being V inclined downwardly 1 and rearwardly substantially along a ne of vision of said 6. A stage setting for use in combination with a photographlc camera, comprisin a plurality of vertical Wall surfaces an a floor surface, said wall surfaces having the rearward portions ofthe up er edges thereof disposed atf alower level t an th\e forward portions o said. uppercdges said upper edges of said wall surfaces being sloped from said forward portions to said rearward `portions, and a portion of said floor surface eing inclined rearwardly and downwardly substantially along a line of vision of said 1n testimony whereof I 'have hereunto subscribed my name this 13th day of July, 1931.

ANTON GROT. 

